Recoil and shock absorbing means for a reciprocating gun



United States RECOIL SHOCK ABSORBING MEANS FOR t RECIPRGCATING GUN Bernard Maillard, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Brevets Aero-Mecaniques S.A., Geneva, Switzerland, a society of Switzerland Application October 3, 17955, Serial No. 538,227

Claims priority, application Luxembourg y October 16, 1954 z claims. (ci. 89-44) -the recoil of the gun with respect to its support.

The main object of my invention is to provide a system of the above mentioned kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those used up to the present time.

The essential feature of my invention consists in interposing, between the gun and the support of such a system, gas operated meansfor urging the gun in the recoil direction -with respect to the support, during the recoil movementof the gun, said last mentioned means being fed with gas through tap means provided in the gun barrel' so as to supply powder gases to said. means every time arshot-is -iired by the gun.

A preferred embodiment of'my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawing, given merelyA byy way of example, and in which: "Fig`. l is a diagrammatic elevational view with parts cut away of a gun system constituted by a small bore automatic gun mounted in an aircraft wing, this system being made according to my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views on an enlarged scale showing details of said gun system.

The gun proper and the means for fixing it to the aircraft wing are devised in any suitable manner such that the tiring cycle of the gun is quite independent of its recoil cycle.

This means that the automatic operation of the gun takes place always in the same fashion whatever be the manner in which this gun is mounted on its support and therefore whatever be the speed and the length of recoil, which would not be the case for instance if unlocking of the breech-lock were a consequence of the recoil of the gun barrel and only took place after said gun barrel has recoiled a given distance. As a matter of fact, in such a case, the rate of tire depends upon the speed of recoil. On the other hand, the amplitude of the. recoil movement is practically fixed by construction and cannot be modied.

As shown by the drawings, the gun system according to my invention comprises a gun 1 having a movable breech-block 2 slidable in a breech case 3, this breechblock, which is urged frontwardly by a recuperator spring 4, being adapted to meet, at the end of its recoil stroke, a spring 5 acting as a shock-absoring and accelerating element capable, every time a shot has been fired, of

@tetti quickly returning the breech-block in the frontward direction.

Said breech-block 2 is locked, every time a shot is tired,

in its front end position, by a device which is released when the shell, after having moved a given distance through the gun barrel, opens a tap hole through which gases can pass so as to operate a lock release device. It is quite obvious thatA in such aV case the firing cycle remains always similar to itself whatever be the recoil cycle (this last mentioned cycle must of course be of a duration at most equal to that of the firing cycle but is generally much shorter). rIhis gun is supported at the front by a wing framework element 6 through a ball and socket device including alball 7 in which the gun can slide, every time a shot is fired, under the effect of recoil, against the action of a return spring 8. At the rear, the rgun is supported by an arm 9 hinged, at its ends, respectively to the gun and to anelementof the wing framework.

This arrangement, which is well known in the art, makes it possible on the one hand to adjust the direction of tire ofthe gun with respect to the aircraft and on the other hand to permit displacements of said gun with respect to the wing under the eifect of recoil. t

A feed mechanism 10 is provided for feeding cartridges to the gun. This feed mechanism does not participate in the recoil movement but is connected on the one hand, in a. sliding fashion, with the gun, and on the other hand, for instance-through a link 11, to a fixed point of the wing framework, for instance to element 6 thereof.

As it is'well known, the operation of the feed mechanism is obtained as a result of the relative displacements taking place between the gun and this mechanism. For this purpose, for instance, a finger 12 carried by the gun-comes, on every recoil stroke of the gun,`to lift a roller 13 the displacements of which serve to wind up the spring which operates the feed mechanism. i

Now, according to my invention,'I inter-pose between -gun 1' and thegun supporting part of the aircraft framework a gas 'operated device, fed with gas tapped from the gun barrel every time a shot is fired, for urging the gun in the recoil direction with respect to part 6.

For this purpose, in the construction shownv by the Adrawingsthe. gun barrel carries a'p-iston '14 movable in a cylinder 15 rigid with ball element 7. A gas tap 16, provided in the wall of the `gun barrel, feeds powder gases into said cylinder 15 when the projectile shot by the gun has moved past said gas tap, whereby the whole of the gun is urged rearwardly with respect to the wing framework element 6.

It will be understood that the action of the powder gases on piston 14 exerts on return spring 8 an action which is added to that of recoil proper. Thus, other things being equal, this return spring can be made stronger than if it were subjected only to the action of recoil, which may be already be very advantageous when it is desired to have a return spring 8 which is very strong so as to perform as quickly as possible the frontward movement returning the gun into battery position. It should be noted that such a quick frontward movement of the gun has the advantage of reducing the disturbing inuence of the shock exerted by the breech-block, at the end of its reaivvard stroke, on spring 5. This shock normally tends to slow down the frontward return movement of the gun and might even, in some cases, start back into rearward direction the gun that is returning frontwardly. It will be understood that the higher the force that produces the frontward return movement of the gun, the more reduced is the perturbing action of the shock of the breech-block against spring 5 at the end of the rearward stroke of said breech-block.

Thus, the device according to my invention is already very interesting even if the recoil of the gun does not control the operation thereof.

However, when, as already indicated, the recoil movement of the serves to operate a yfeed device, my in-` vention is more particularly interesting because it permits obtaining, for given characteristics of return spring 8, an energy as highvas necessary for the operation ofsaid feed mechanism. f

Y In the constructionof Eig. l, the active area of piston `14 will 'be given a value such that gun 1 is returned'rearmechanism, recoil takes place with the 4necessary :ampli- .wardly .with respect .to .xed part 16, :and :therefore with respect to feed mechanism 10, with such la force that,

account being taken of the reaction fof return spring 8 Y Yand of the work absorbed by the operation of-Ethe feed tude. As for return spring 8, it will advantageously tbe y strike spring 5 which is to return said breech-block in the Y( frontward direction. It is known that such a' condition .is necessary to obtain the highest possible rate of .fire for a given gun. f Advantageously, the gun system above `describedturther includes a shockaa'bsorbing Vsys-tem. jSuch a system may be constituted for instance by a plurality of elementary shock-absorbers interposed between gun 1 and `its support, for instance (as shown .by Fig. 2,)between .a ring 17 carried by the gun barrel and a -ring element 18 rigid with ball 7. These shock-absorbers may be made of any suitable construction, preferably such that they `do not brake the recoil stroke but slow down at least the endof rthe frontward return movement of the gun.- For instance,

they may be made so that each of them consists of an oil iilled cylinder 19 in which moves a piston 20 provided Y with at least one check valve 21 producing a braking action during the return frontward movement of the gun.

In a general manner, while I have, in thev above Ade.- -scription, disclosed what I deem to be practical and ecient embodiments of my invention, it s'hould be well understood that I do not wish to be 'limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form yof the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as Acomprehended within the scope of the accompanying claims.

lWhat I claim is: Y

1. A gun system comprising, a fixedv support, Va gun .2,920,636 l l f movable for recoil and counterrecoil with respect to said support, resilient means between said gun and said support for urging said gun to a xed battery position with respect to said support, supplementary recoil impulse means including a cylinder mounted in said support and fixed with respect thereto and a piston rigid with the gun barrel and slidable within said cylinder with Va gas tap connecting the inside of the gun barrel with the cylinder whereby 'gases passing into said cylinder act against said piston to impart a supplementary recoil impulse to thegun, cartridge -feecl mechanism mounted in a fixed position with respect to `said support, cooperating means carriedby said. fessi mechanism and ASaid for operating the feed'mechanism, a 4breech block V`slidable with respect to'said f-gun, a rspring element mounted on said gun behind said breech vbloc-:kfw acting against said breech block for returning the bpeechf block to the forward position thereof, said supplementary recoil impulse .means imparting .sucient receil' tesserati; saisi .cartridge `fred mechanism and saisi resilient means sailsins Said aun .t0 begin scunterrecil nim/ement prior' to engagenint of saidv breech block .with Sinisi 'spring element to assist in returning the breech block to the for-vs d pgsitien Ihereei 2. .A -gun System accertiiris t0 slaim 1 and .further including shockfabscrbing means iaierpcsed between said ,support .and said sun t slgwtdowa the end af the frent- Wafd return movmait ef. said gun with respect, to said support- References Cited in the file cf this patent Y Y' UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,309,807 Trotter Feb. ;2, 1943 2,746,357 ,...May :221.1956

rosales PATENTS creat Britain ,r cenas, .1,934 

